Former First Lady Michelle Obama had two targets in her rally speech supporting the candidacy of Kamala Harris in Kalamazoo, Michigan, this past weekend. Obama aimed first at men harboring deep frustration with a political system that they feel is unresponsive to their needs.
Saying that she understands their rage, and their impatience with the pace of changes that will help them, Obama also asked the men not to let their rage be a reason to sit out the vote or to vote against Harris.
“Your rage does not exist in a vacuum. If we don’t get this election right, your wife, your daughter — we, as women — will become collateral damage to your rage,” Obama said.
But it was the second target of Obama’s speech that struck many as poignant, as it illustrated a scenario that remains stubbornly common — a strain of household paternalism that disenfranchises women. Obama addressed specifically the “women who are listening” — especially women who live “in a household of men that don’t listen to you or value your opinion.”
To those women, Obama said clearly “just remember your vote is a private matter.”
That speech Michelle Obama just gave was one of the best of this entire cycle. She is unbelievable. Here’s how she brought it home. pic.twitter.com/KZ5J2ZhmFy
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 26, 2024
Obama continued, speaking to women she portrayed as second-class citizens in their own homes, asking them to split with their husbands politically if they must: “Regardless of the political views of your partner, you get to choose, you get to use your judgement, and cast your vote for yourself and the women in your life.”
Is such a rallying cry about women’s independence of mind necessary in 21st century America, where women have had the right to vote since 1920 when the 19th Amendment became law?
Christian Evangelical pastor and Trump supporter Joel Webbon, in a segment (below) recently shared by Republicans Against Trump, illustrates exactly the situation and attitudes some women in America still face — and why Obama’s plea for women to exercise their autonomy at the ballot box is so important.
Christian nationalist pastor Joel Webbon thinks the 19th Amendment (women vote) should be repealed, arguing that women should get their voice from their fathers, husbands, brothers or uncles: “This is the Christian position”pic.twitter.com/qki23ykfTh
— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) October 26, 2024